Caritas India, the social service arm of the Catholic Church, is collaborating with state governments and NGOs to bring relief to millions of people affected by the devastating monsoon with heavy rains recorded in different regions of India in August, reported Fides News Agency.
«We are coordinating with the state governments and disaster response agencies to assess the situation», said Father Paul Moonjely, executive Director of Caritas India. «Caritas has issued an appeal to faithful, congregations and people of goodwill to contribute generously to this humanitarian call and express the solidarity at this crucial moment.»
Caritas’ team is assessing the needs of the local communities and helping the Social Development Diocesan Partners in planning the relief operations in the states affected by the monsoon rains: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. So far, more than 370 people have died in flood-related incidents. The death toll may continue to rise, with more than 4.7 million people displaced across thousands of relief camps in these states.
Caritas India is providing emergency assistance to 10,000 families in Kolhapur and Sangli of Maharasthra; Kasaragod, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kannur of Kerala; Nilgiri of Tamil Nadu; Belgaum and Karwar of Karnataka; Eluru and Vizag of Andhra Pradesh with Food, Water, Non-Food Essentials, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Shelter.
«A Solidarity Appeal was issued by His Eminence Cardinal Oswald Gracias, President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India to all the dioceses in India to generate support for the victims of Floods and Landslide,” Father Moonjely said.
Around 700,000 people were displaced in the state of Karnataka due to floods. Caritas India is working with 5 partners in 9 out of 17 affected districts of Karnataka. Kerala is once again hit by the devastating floods. Caritas India along with its partners are doing rapid needs assessment of the most affected villages.
Assistant Director of Caritas India, Fr. Jolly is visiting the flood-affected areas to assess the damage and generate support from the partners and Church leadership in responding to this calamity.
The volunteer team of Caritas India, called the «Caritas Samaritans» are engaged in humanitarian aid.
